Ragi Chocolate Muffin

Yes, I know I have been posting a lot of Ragi based recipes lately and yet to post more. I mean why not? I just re-discovered this wonder grain and I can’t believe I kept it away from me for so long. Now that Ragi has made a powerful comeback into my life I am trying to incorporate this into my diet in all possible ways especially in my baked goodies because of its rich flavour and aroma.

Until recently I didn’t know that you could bake well with Ragi; like properly. Its versatility is immense and it compliments almost every recipe. My first try was the Ragi Banana Bread which I fell in love with instantly. Now this time I tried Ragi chocolate muffins for one of my health freak colleagues who is a die-hard chocolate lover as well, like every other girl. Although it tasted yum I personally don’t prefer the idea of mixing chocolate and Ragi because cocoa has an overpowering taste. But hey, it’s good news for chocolate lovers who want to add a healthy element to their indulgence. So, let’s see how to bake this healthy chocolate muffin without losing out on its flavours.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Ragi flour – ½ cup

Cocoa powder – ¼ cup

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Coconut sugar/Brown sugar – 1 cup

Eggs – 2

Dark chocolate chips – 1/3 cup

Melted Butter – 1 tbsp

Coconut oil – 1/3 cup

Yogurt – ½ cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Chopped dry cherries – a handful

Crushed nuts of choice – for topping

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius and prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners.

In a microwave melt the dark chocolate chips with butter and keep aside to cool down.

In a large bowl combine the wheat flour, Ragi flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and dry cherries with a whisk and keep aside.

Put the eggs, coconut oil, melted dark chocolate, yogurt, coconut sugar and vanilla essence in a clean and dry blender and blend it well till the sugar is dissolved.

Pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently mix everything well together with a whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin liners ¾ full and sprinkle with the crushed nuts.

Bake the muffins at 180 degree Celsius for 12-15 minutes depending on the size of the muffin liners.

Notes:

You can use the oil/melted butter of your choice in this recipe if you don’t want to use coconut oil.

It is a healthy muffin that’s why I have used coconut sugar but if you want you can substitute it with white sugar or brown sugar as well.

Baking time and temperature depend upon oven to oven. So please adjust the temperature and bake time accordingly.